I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control device and display for controlling and monitoring most all of the electronic components contained within a motor vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a central menu-driven programmable control unit with a central display monitor whereby the driver of a motor vehicle can selectively monitor and change numerous independent electronic systems utilizing a single set of controls.
II. Prior Art Statement
Most modern automobiles utilize electronic devices that rely upon a human operator for adjustment. The radio settings, windshield wiper speed, temperature controls and the like are a few examples. As new technologies are invented and added to the automobile, it seems as though the number of controls that require selective adjustment is forever increasing. A major problem, therefore, exists in that there are no standard controls or procedures for operating and adjusting the various electronic components designed into the different makes and models of automobiles. As a result, if a person is driving an unfamiliar automobile, that person must often search for the various controls, thereby diverting his/her attention from the road. Since the operation of many devices is condition specific, such as windshield wipers, many drivers must search for the various electronic controls while the automobile is moving through traffic. In the case of the sudden need for lights, windshield wipers, defroster, four wheel drive controls and the like, the driver must quickly find the proper control or else the lack of such elements may themselves cause an accident. To further complicate matters, the controls of most every make of automobile are positioned in different places, therefore no matter how experienced a person is, if that person is driving an unfamiliar automobile, that person must still randomly search for the needed controls. Typically, luxury automobiles have more electronically controlled features than do economy automobiles. In many instances, the instrument panels of the automobile are so cluttered, and the printing on the controls is so small, that it becomes very difficult to safely adjust any of the electronic features without first stopping the automobile. In the dark, many of the instrument controls are not properly lit. Furthermore, people who do not need glasses to drive but do need glasses to read small text must put on their glasses to find the needed controls. This adversely effects the vision needed for driving.
The inability of drivers to efficiently control the various operations of their automobiles, combined with distractions created by searching for the controls, has undoubtedly resulted in numerous accidents and injuries. As a result, there exists a real need for a vehicle control system that can be operated efficiently and without distraction by an unfamiliar driver.
In the prior art, there have been many attempts made to make the electronic controls of an automobile more simple to use. However, in most every case, the improved controls are custom made for a single make and model of automobile, thereby providing no appreciable benefits to a person not familiar with that specific make and model. These prior art systems do help in operating the electronic controls of an automobile but do embody certain disadvantages, as will be explained in the exemplary prior art cited below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,040 to Ames et al., entitled DISPLAY SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE, discloses a programmable system controller to assist in the operation of several electronic systems within an automobile. The Ames patent essentially places a personal computer within an automobile, whereby complex software can be selectively read from memory and run. The Ames system utilizes a complex data processing keyboard, a touch screen and many of the electronic components, such as the radio, cellular telephone and the like, still have their own controls. Consequently, although the Ames system enables many different functions to be rapidly performed, the Ames system is far more complex than the system of a typical automobile. As a result, an unfamiliar person driving an automobile for the first time that contains a system such as the Ames system would be more distracted and confused than helped.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,856 to Hesagawa et al., entitled CONTROL APPARATUS FOR AUTOMOBILES, discloses a central control unit that is coupled to many of the electronic components present within an automobile. However, the purpose of the control unit is to adjust the various electronic components to a predetermined setting depending upon what person is driving the automobile. The control unit does not replace the need to individually adjust each electronic feature at their point of assembly into the dashboard and therefore does not solve the problems of confusion and distraction previously described.
Lastly, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,043 to Haubiner et al., entitled VEHICLE DATA ACQUISITION AND DASHBOARD DISPLAY SYSTEM, a system is disclosed that displays many of the electronic features of the automobile on a common central display. However, the features displayed are for informational purposes only, and those features cannot be controlled at the central location.
As such, the prior art fails to disclose a central control system for the electronic components of an automobile, wherein each and every adjustable feature of those electronic components can be simply controlled by a single set of centrally located controls.
It is, therefore, an objective of the present invention to provide an automobile control system that has a single set of controls, wherein the controls can be used to control every adjustable electronic component within the automobile.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a single electronic display that is easily viewed by the driver of the automobile and selectively displays the status of each adjustable electronic component to the driver in an easily viewed and non-distracting manner.